The BMC Racing Team’s roster to help Tejay van Garderen at Paris-Nice features an abundance of talent around him, including Tour Méditerranéen winner Stephen Cummings and Dubai Tour champion Taylor Phinney.

Freedom To Go For Stage Wins
Van Garderen is coming off a runner-up finish at the Tour of Oman in his first competition of the season. The past fourth- and fifth-place finisher at this race (in 2013 and 2012, respectively) said he is pleased with his form and the talent surrounding him, but disappointed the course does not play to all of his strengths. “My fitness feels good – even better than last year – having raced in Oman,” van Garderen said. “They picked a nice route, but I am disappointed there is no time trial or uphill finish, which could make sprinting for bonus seconds valuable. My goal remains to fight for the general classification. Winning will be difficult, but we will try to get as high a finish as possible. We are sending a strong, motivated team, which could provide lots of options.” Paris-Nice stage winners Thor Hushovd (in 2008) and Amaël Moinard (in 2010) join Cummings, Phinney, Peter Stetina, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad runner-up Greg Van Avermaet and Slovakian national time trial champion Peter Velits. BMC Racing Team Sport Director Yvon Ledanois said riders will have the freedom to go for stage wins while still supporting van Garderen. “I have spoken this week with each of the riders and there is a big motivation to work for Tejay,” he said. “This race is certainly an important objective for everyone.”

Download the official BMC Racing Team roster card (PDF with bios, statistics, etc.):http://bit.ly/1hRf1g6